ull of interest.

When they reached home and the others all flew off to their rooms, Kitty
stood for a moment hesitating; then, with a little added flush on her
cheeks, she walked along the hall to Miss Pidsley's private room and
knocked. There was a moment's silence, then "Come in," said Miss
Pidsley in a voice that was not exactly encouraging, for it was that of
a person who had reached the limits of her patience.

Kitty almost wished she had not come. She seemed to be doing such a
dreadful thing by interrupting, and suddenly her pretty rose looked very
poor and insignificant; but there was no drawing back now, so she opened
the door and went in. Miss Pidsley looked up very sharply.

"Oh, surely, Katherine," she began, when she saw who it was, "it is not
time for your music lesson yet?" Then she noticed that Kitty had on her
hat, and had evidently only just come in.

"Oh no, Miss Pidsley," said Kitty, "there is an our yet before that.
I hope I haven't interrupted you. I brought you home a little
rose-tree, which I hope--I--I thought you might like it," and she put
the beautiful, cheery-looking little crimson rambler down on the table
beside her.

Miss Pidsley looked completely surprised, but quite pleased. "How kind
of you, Katherine--how very kind of you to think of me," she said, and
Katherine noticed that her voice sounded strangely. Then her head
dropped on her hand, and she gave a deep, deep sigh. "Oh," she
exclaimed, and the words seemed to be forced from her, "I am _so_
worried, and oh! so tired, so tired." Then she looked up again with
almost an embarrassed air. "I am afraid I spoke sharply when you
knocked. I feared it might be Jane again, and after the scene I have
had with her I really do not want to see her for some time yet. She has
quarrelled with the house-maid, and both have given me notice; and what
to do I don't know, just at the beginning of term and all." Miss
Pidsley talked on as though she really could not keep her troubles to
herself any longer. "It has been a most trying scene; they upset me
dreadfully, they were so violent."

Had any one else in the house heard the usually reserved headmistress
talking so unreservedly they would have gasped with astonishment. But
Kitty was too full of sympathetic interest to think of anything else.
She had a little unconscious way of her own of winning confidence from
the most unlikely of people, and poor Miss Pidsley, who was so weary, s